In modern motor car design, for visibility, aerodynamic and styling reasons, it is desirable that the hood line is kept as low as possible. As a result, there is generally very little clearance between the hood and the engine bay contents of the automotive vehicle. Consequently, the hood will provide very little cushioning effect when impacted by a pedestrian during an accident. Pedestrian safety performance can be improved by increasing the clearance of the hood. Therefore a device is necessary to raise the hood when impacted by a pedestrian.
EP 0630801 B1 discloses a vehicle hood which is hinged at its leading edge and which is releasable latched at its trailing edge. Both the hinge mechanism and the latch mechanism by which the hood is attached to the vehicle are arranged to cause the whole hood to lift along its full length when the forward edge of the hood is impacted by a pedestrian during an accident. The hinge and latch mechanism disclosed in the above patent specification refer to a hood which is hinged at its leading edge, but it is not applicable to a hood which is hinged at its trailing edge.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian safety device for rearward hinged hoods, with none of the above mentioned drawbacks.